Commentary on the Seventh Day Adventist Adult and Collegiate Sabbath School lessons, intertwined with various other ramblings.

Clouds

Monday, October 29, 2012

Check Mate (Delayed)

Thoughts on the Sabbath School Lesson for 11.3.12

I have been known to be kind of a
klutz … not altogether undeservedly, I’m afraid. Well, this week I cut my
finger while fixing lunch. The truly sad part about the whole thing was that I
knew it was going to happen, but could not seem to make my hand move out of the
way of the knife. Thankfully, though painful, the cut didn’t need anything more
than a bandage, but it got me thinking about inevitability.

Then I read a story told by Contemporary
Christian singer, songwriter and author, Carolyn Arends that perfectly summed
up what I was thinking.

Arends relates a memory from her
childhood of listening to visiting missionaries sharing their experiences in
the mission field. In this particular story, the missionary couple told a story
about a snake.

“One day, they told us, an
enormous snake—much longer than a man—slithered its way right through their
front door and into the kitchen of their simple home. Terrified, they ran
outside and searched frantically for a local who might know what to do. A
machete-wielding neighbor came to the rescue, calmly marching into their house
and decapitating the snake with one clean chop.“The neighbor reemerged
triumphant and assured the missionaries that the reptile had been defeated. But
there was a catch, he warned: It was going to take a while for the snake to
realize it was dead.“A snake's neurology and blood
flow are such that it can take considerable time for it to stop moving even
after decapitation. For the next several hours, the missionaries were forced to
wait outside while the snake thrashed about, smashing furniture and flailing
against walls and windows, wreaking havoc until its body finally understood
that it no longer had a head.“Sweating in the heat, they had
felt frustrated and a little sickened but also grateful that the snake's
rampage wouldn't last forever. And at some point in their waiting, they told
us, they had a mutual epiphany.“I leaned in with the rest of the
congregation, queasy and fascinated. ‘Do you see it?’ asked the husband. ‘Satan
is a lot like that big old snake. He's already been defeated. He just doesn't
know it yet. In the meantime, he's going to do some damage. But never forget
that he's a goner.’”[1]

Does that story remind of you
anything? It does me. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and
between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise
His heel.” Genesis 3:15

The only part of Arends’ story with
which I disagree is that I believe that Satan knows (and has known since Jesus died and rose again) that he’s lost but is
determined to wreak as much havoc as he possibly can.

“A battle unseen by human eyes is
being waged. The army of the Lord is on the ground, seeking to save souls.
Satan and his host are also at work, trying in every possible way to deceive
and destroy. . . . Day by day the battle goes on. If our eyes could be opened
to see the good and evil agencies at work, there would be no trifling, no
vanity, no jesting or joking. If all would put on the whole armor of God and
fight manfully the battles of the Lord, victories would be gained that would
cause the kingdom of darkness to tremble.” (Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p.
41)

My brother and I played all kinds
of board games as kids. In general, he is the better game player, so there
would come a point in almost every game when I knew that I was going to lose.
Sometimes when I saw that loss coming, I would just quit, but sometimes I would
hang on and try to cause as much damage as I could before the inevitable
happened. Chess was probably the most frustrating for both of us. I
really stunk but I was pretty much his only option for a partner if he wanted
to play. I can remember so many times when I’d be down to just a couple of
pieces. I would only be able to move back and forth between two or three
spaces. I knew it was just a matter of time until my brother would close in and
call, “Check Mate,” but I wouldn’t quit until he actually said those words

.

It’s called being a sore loser
and anybody who might have been watching would have known which of us was the
better player and which of us was being a pouty little girl.

The Great Controversy between
Jesus and Satan isn’t about who wins or loses anymore because ever since Jesus
died on the cross and then rose again, we all know Who’s already won. What we,
and all the beings in the universe are observing now is a demonstration of the
character of God – God who allows each individual the freedom to accept or
reject His salvation, who is eternally just and loving.

“But in spite of all the efforts
of the enemy to make of none effect the word of God, he who has a heart to
search for truth will find it; for it lies open before him, revealed in the
word of God, as the secrets of nature are open to him who studies her laws.
God’s word is the revelation of all truth; and in laboring for souls, the
minister should seek to unveil the truth in such a way that it will make the
right impression upon the heart, that the sinner may renounce his allegiance to
Satan, and turn to Christ. Jesus is ready to accept the soul who turns to him,
pleading the merits of the blood of Christ. He will receive, pardon, purify,
and make him whole. But before this point is reached, before the soul
surrenders to Christ, there is a time when the will is vacillating, when the
soul is under conviction, and pressed by doubt, and it is then that a strong
personal effort should be made. The minister should come close to the trembling
one, and point him to Calvary, lifting up a crucified and risen Saviour as the
sinner’s only hope. There are many whose hearts are as hard as the beaten
highway, and apparently it is a useless effort to present the truth to them;
but while logic may fail to move, and argument be worthless to convince, let
the laborer for Christ come close to such in Christlike sympathy and
compassion, and it may be that the love of Christ will subdue and melt the soul
into tenderness and contrition. ‘The world by wisdom knew not God.’ Let the
wayward and hard-hearted be led to the feet of Jesus; here they may learn
precious lessons of love of their Creator and Redeemer, and hope will spring
up. ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’” (E.G.
White, Review and Herald, May 31,
1892)

Which side will you be on when
the final battle is fought? We know who wins – Jesus has already said the final
words: “Check Mate!”

1 comment:

The woman of Rev 12 is now here. She is not a church, she is not Israel, and she is not Mary. She is the prophet like unto Moses and Elijah Matt 17:3, Acts 3:21-23, Luke 1:17 delivering the true word John 1:1 from the wilderness Rev 12:6 to prepare a people for the Lord’s return. God our Father will not put any child of his into a hell fire no matter what their sins. It never entered the heart or mind of God to ever do such a thing Jer7:31, Jer 19:5. Turn your heart to the children of God. A gift is now delivered to the whole world as a witness Matt 24:14. http://minigoodtale.wordpress.com Prove all things.